Sutton Valence 3rd XI welcomed Herne Bay 5th XI on what was an unseasonably warm Saturday morning. Being fairly evenly matched in skill and speed, this always proves to be an exciting fixture.

Sutton Valence took the lead early on with father-son strike duo Ryan Page and Rob Cockayne linking up to score the first goal. Page did fantastically with the ball in the D to get past a defender, drive the ball down the base line and slip it past the keeper to Cockayne to slot the ball in at the back post.

Unfortunately, the lead was short lived, with Herne Bay managing to pull back two well worked goals in quick succession.

The second half saw both teams desperately try to assert their dominance, which lead to a great half of hockey from both sides. Stuart Edmed, Alex Stanford and Charlie Tucker worked tirelessly in midfield to keep feeding the strikers with opportunities to score. But, frustratingly, Herne Bay managed to sneak a further two goals during the second period.

Never ones to be knocked down, Sutton Valence battled on, narrowly missing chances to pull the game back, including a strike from Page that hit the post.

The game finished 4-1, a score line that did not necessarily reflect the even nature of the game, but it was a very enjoyable game for all involved.

Team sheet: Rob Cockayne; Ryan Page; William Vanns; Archer Ripley; Mike Nettle; Andy McVarish; Stuart Edmed; Alex Stanford; Bob Sagrott; Rod Harcourt; Mike Stapleton; David Turner; Christian Chadwick; Charlie Tucker.

Goals: Rob Cockayne

Next Match: Sevenoaks 7 (A) 10:00